Memories Best Forgotten
by katieerudite
Summary: Elsa has run off after having a minor breakdown, after Rapunzel and Eugene visit Arendelle. More chapters to come!
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

A tall girl, barely more than twenty, straightened her purple dress. "Will they like us, Eugene?"

Eugene, loaded down with bags, grunted. "They're _your_ cousins."

"We didn't give them any warning, and it's almost our fault that their parents were shipwrecked, because it was our wedding…"

"It'll be fine, Rapunzel." He readjusted his hold on the various cases.

"Okay." She ran shaky hands over her thick short hair and walked up to the gate. It was open, and they went to the guards.

"Name?"

"Eugene and Rapunzel Fitzherbert of Corona." Eugene said.

A young boy ran up and took the bags.

"You sure you can carry them?" he asked.

The boy grinned at them. "Yes, sir!"

Eugen straightened his vest and they entered the throne room.

A spunky redhead and a calmer platinum blonde leaned over the edge of their thrones and giggled to each other.

Eugene cleared his throat. "Ahem."

They looked up and gasped together. The redhead jumped up and ran to them. "Rapunzel!"

She embraced her cousin. Rapunzel figured that this was Anna. Elsa sat back in her throne and looked stunned, yet calm. But inside, she was a whirlwind of emotions.

_Why? Why did they come? Okay, she knew that, Rapunzel was her cousin. But why now? On the anniversary of...she didn't want to think about it. It was only three years ago, in three days. And only a few months since she had let go. The mountain was still thawing, she wouldn't be able to go for a little while longer. It was just too hard to walk up. But...this was their fault!_

Elsa stood slowly and walked towards them. Eugene put out his hand to shake hers, but she ignored it. Her braid was the last thing he say.

Rapunzel and Anna were still talking.

Elsa walked briskly to the other side of the courtyard.

"Hello, Queen." A deep, slightly silly voice came from near the fountain.

"Shut up, Kristoff, I'm not in the mood."

Kristoff drooped. Sven did too, but then Olaf hopped over. Sven snapped at Olaf's nose.

"Aw! He's trying to kiss me!"

His flurry followed him as he hopped around, chased by the reindeer. Kristoff pulled out a carrot and Sven took a bite. Then Kristoff gnawed off a piece, watching Elsa run through a door, a cloud of ice following her.

"That's not good."

Anna ran out, pulling Rapunzel, with Eugene following.

"Kristoff, this is my cousin Rapunzel and her husband Flynn. This is Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf."

"Hi!" Olaf chuckled as a green chameleon skittered from his perch on Rapunzel's shoulder to her head.

"Nice to meet you," Kristoff said in Sven's voice, then added in his own, "Good to see you."

Eugene muttered "Crazy," under his breath.

Then a blast of icy air came from a tower and formed a cloud. Those gathering in the courtyard were blasted in the face with a frigid cloud.

Anna's excited face instantly dropped. "Oh no. That's not good."


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa sat in the middle of the room, all the windows blown open, panting. She had overreacted. If she didn't calm down, someone could get hurt.

_"Elsa! Wake up!"_

_"Go away Anna! Go back to sleep."_

_"I can't! The sky is awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play!"_

_Elsa sat up and ran with Anna down the stairs._

_"Do the magic!"_

_Elsa created a snowball and threw it ino the air. It exploded in millions of small snowflakes._

_They rolled up a few balls of snow and made a snowman. "Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" Elsa said in a snowman voice, how she imagined it might sound._

_"I love you, Olaf!" Anna threw her arms around the snowman._

_Anna jumped from peak to peak of snow as Elsa made them. "Slow down, Anna!"_

_Elsa's foot slipped. She tried to catch Anna's wild jump._

_The icy blast hit her head. Elsa didn't remember running over. She was just there._

_"Mama! Papa!"_

_They ran in. "Elsa!"_

"Elsa! Elsa! Are you okay?" Anna called up to her sister.

Elsa grabbed her braid. "No. No." she whispered, "I'm not alright."

"Come on, let's go up there," Rapunzel said.

Elsa looked around frantically. The last thing she wanted was to see them. She ran over to a window that overlooked the outside of the castle and spread her arms. A staircase appeared in front of her.

She ran down it and into the snow of the mountain. The stairs were already melting behind her.

Eugene forced open the frozen over door. Anna walked in. "Elsa?"

"The walls are covered in icicles!" Rapunzel wandered around, Olaf tottering behind on his stubby snow legs.

"Watch out, Sven." Kristoff watched as the reindeer slipped on the icy floor, which was already covered in puddles.

Eugene walked over to the window Elsa went out. "There's stairs over here."

"What should we do?" Rapunzel looked worried.

"I-I don't know. Last time this happened, everything froze. But this time, it's already melting." Anna sat on the windowsill and looked out, "And so's the mountain."

Kristoff joined her as an avalanche raced down the mountain.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Elsa ran from the castle, her heart pounding and her chest heaving. She stopped at a point overlooking the fjords.

_"Do you have to go?"_

_"You'll be fine, Elsa."_

_Anna ran down the stairs and hugged Mother and Father. Elsa drew back slightly, practically invisible. She didn't want to hurt Anna._

_"See you in two weeks." Anna had nothing to worry about. Elsa did. Her powers could get out of control._

_"Have a good time at the wedding," Elsa said. They were going to Corona, a tiny island kingdom where the cousin she had never met was getting married to an ex-convict._

_Elsa watched from her window as the ship pulled past the point. That night, a storm rose from the North. The servants ran around, closing windows against the wind and sleet. The next day, the sisters found out that they were orphans._

Elsa knew it was her cousin's fault, and when they came, well, she ran. And she ran. Soon, she reached the North Mountain.

When she was a small child, her window overlooked the North Mountain and she imagined living up there, free from all cares. It was her imaginary refuge, and her physical one.

The ice castle was long gone. Elsa stomped and a ice floor in the shape of a snowflake radiated from her foot. She raised the walls with a gesture of upward arms.

She walked up the stairs and stood on the new balcony. She felt peace, and could not know what was going on in the castle. And it wasn't good.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Rapunzel paced back and forth in the castle. It was getting colder and colder, no matter how much wood Eugene piled onto the quivering fire.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! What'll we do?"

Eugene put his arm around his young wife. "Calm down, Blondie."

She managed a shaky smile at him.

Olaf skipped around the room, trying to make sure everything was closed. For a snowman, he had very little fear of heat.

Anna was also really nervous. "She is _such_ a stinker! Ooh, she should watch out for me."

Kristoff pulled a hat over Anna's Terra Cotta hair and tucked her braids into it. Anna pulled them back out.

"Should we go after her?" Kristoff asked, pulling a jacket from a closet.

"Last time that happened, you and Sven almost died. I don't want that to happen again."

"Ah, but this time we won't be racing across the fjords like…"

"A valiant pungent reindeer king is how I think Olaf put it." Anna said, gesturing to the snowman, who was flicking snowflakes into the fire, where they sizzled on the logs.

Eugene grabbed another coat. "I think we need to go after them."

Rapunzel shivered and wrapped a cloak around her thin shoulders. "I agree."

Anna sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. "I just don't get why she would run off like this."

Kristoff draped a cloak on her back. "Let's go find out."

Anna stood and fastened the gold clasp with a tulip engraved on it. "Okay."

They hitched Sven to the sled and started up the mountain.

Elsa stood at the balcony of her new castle, looking at her kingdom. She hadn't seen it from this height except when it was covered in snow and ice, which didn't bother her, but it looked different.

Suddenly, she realised that she was hungry. Last time, she had no problem, since she was attacked by Hans before she had been in her castle for more than a few hours. She hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning, and it was almost sunset.

Elsa would have to go get some food.

She waited until it was dark, then started down the mountain to a trading post she had seen.

There was still a light on, so she waited until it went out.

Just to be safe, Elsa loitered behind the half-opened stable door. There was a sled in there, and a sleeping reindeer, who ignored her except for occasionally puffing out a bit of steamy, carroty breath.

Finally, as the stars began to appear, she snuck onto the deck of the trading post. Moonlight shined off of her pale hand as it hovered towards the handle.

Elsa huffed as it turned part way, then stopped. Of course it was locked.

She closed her eyes and used her powers to break open the lock.

No noise from inside. Good.

Elsa took a deep breath and stepped into the dark room. First, she wanted a cloak, not for the cold, but so she wouldn't be recognised by the owner.

Then she walked over to the foodstuffs and pinched a loaf of bread and a jar of lutefisk, pickled fish.

Her elbow knocked a jar off the shelf behind her. She sucked in her breath as it seemed to fall in slow motion.

It hit the floor with a crash and then a tinkling of glass. No one seemed to be up yet, so Elsa grabbed a jar of preserved fruit and swiftly walked to the frosty door.

Suddenly, a door behind her opened with a gust of hot steam. "Who's there?" came a man's voice. Elsa grabbed the edge of her cloak and ran.

"What is it, Eugene?" Rapunzel asked sleepily.

"I just heard someone in here, but they ran when I opened the door." Eugene slowly stepped out into the room.

Kristoff appeared in the doorway behind them, Anna pulling a cloak on as she stepped behind them.

"Get a lamp!" Rapunzel whispered, and Anna turned to pull one of the lanterns off the sauna wall, where Oaken had let them stay the night. It was so steamy that they were all wet from condensation and sweat, but better than the stable.

Anna handed the lantern to Eugene and he walked further in.

"Where did you hear the noise?" Kristoff asked.

"Over here," replied Eugene, walking over.

Glass sparkled like jagged diamonds on the ground. Then the four walked to the door.

Anna touched the frosty designs on the door. "Elsa."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

"Are you sure its Elsa?" asked Flynn.

"I don't think there's anyone else in Arendelle, let alone the world, with this capability." replied Anna, getting into the sleigh, which Kristoff and Sven had pulled out of the shed.

"She has a point. Eugene." Rapunzel shivered under the hat she was wearing. Her short hair wasn't the best for mountain chill.

Kristoff climbed in next to Anna and Sven started off. The wind started blowing harder and harder into their faces.

"She's making a blizzard!" Eugene shouted into the blast.

"This is what happened last time. Maybe we can stop it though." yelled Anna.

Elsa, meanwhile, had just reached her castle and was setting down the bundle she had made while she ran, when she saw a dark shape heading up the mountain. She grabbed an icicle from where they were spiking out of the walls and knocked off the sharp end.

She wasn't sure if it would work, but it helped a bit. Through the impurities in the ice, she saw a reindeer pulling a sled with four people.

A blast of wind shot from her castle as fear washed over her. Her cousin's husband had seen her, and they were coming after her.

Elsa tried to make a new tower to run up, higher than the rest, but she could hardly do it. After a few tries, she gave up and looked back down. They were almost at the castle.

She grabbed the bundle and flung out her hand.

A messy looking staircase seemed to float from the castle. Elsa hesitated for a second, fearful of the precarious stairs.

Anna's voice was what sent her down those stairs. She wasn't exactly sure why she feared her sister, but she did. And she ran from the North Mountain.

"Elsa!" Anna called from the door.

"Just go in," suggested Eugene, "You've called her twenty times and she still hasn't answered, see if she needs help."

Anna nodded and opened the door. It seemed to melt under her touch.

She walked up the stairs. Elsa wasn't there. A crystalized chandelier hung over her head as she walked to the window.

Then she ran down to the others, who were slowly walking around, admiring the ice.

"She went deeper into the mountains!" Anna panted.

Kristoff nodded, and soon they were riding up into the hills.

There was a huge crash behind them and they all turned. The icy spires no longer dominated the sky. It had collapsed.

No one said anything, but their faces showed their concern. If the castle was melting, then Elsa was in danger.

They traveled on in silence. Suddenly, Sven started sniffing the air. Kristoff looked worried.

Suddenly, there was a boom from up in the mountains and cracklings.

Anna shouted over the noise, "What is that?"

Kristoff reined in Sven. His forehead crinkled.

"Avalanche."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Go, Sven, go!" Kristoff snapped the reins across Sven's back. The sled raced down the slope.

Anna looked behind them.

"It's gaining!" she screamed.

Sven lurched forward with all his might. They leaped across a small cliff to another. The reindeer slid to a stop.

The four looked back at the avalanche, which was dumping itself into the canyon below.

Then they looked up.

Eugene whistled through his teeth.

A huge ice castle stood in front of them. They could almost see a shape at the top…

"I'll go up alone." Anna told them firmly. She hopped down and started walking.

"But what if she hurts you?" Rapunzel asked, her green eyes glowing anxiously.

"She won't, and besides, I think I can calm her down."

She started her trek up.

Kristoff and Sven watched.

Elsa stood in her castle, watching the figure she recognised as Anna ascend the stairs. She dropped another lutefisk on a peice of bread and popped it into her mouth.

Then, wiping her chin with the back of her hand, she went to the top of the sweeping staircase and waited for Anna to push open the heavy ice door.

Her spunky sister popped in. "Elsa?" she called.

"Here." She stepped out from behind an ice column.

"Elsa, um, can we talk."

Elsa laughed nervously. "About what?"

"Elsa, it's not Eugene and Rapunzel's fault! They hadn't heard the details until now, and they are sorry. Rapunzel is hurt. Not physically, but you hurt her when you had that freak out thing in the castle." Anna rushed.

"Anna, it may not be their fault, but Mother and Father would not have left if not for them!" Tears started to drip down her icy rose cheeks.

Anna walked up the stairs. "Please, just, let it go."

Elsa looked into her sister's eyes, which were sparked with emotion.

She remembered that time, not too long ago, when she thought she had let it all go. She hadn't.

And then she burst out crying. Anna supported her as she let out all the tears that she could not as queen.

When she was done, Anna helped her wipe all the traces of tears from her face.

"Shall we go see them?" Anna asked.

Elsa nodded.

They descended the hill toward the sleigh, holding hands as they trudged through the snow..

_We can fix this hand in hand._

Rapunzel and Eugene got down as they approached. Eugene nodded respectfully, but Rapunzel ran to her cousin.

Elsa didn't resist as she enveloped her in a hug. In fact, she leaned in.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Rapunzel held her out at arm's length. "Don't be. I should have given you time to prepare of turn down our plans."

Elsa embraced the brunette girl, happy to have a cousin.

_Love will thaw the frozen heart._


End file.
